


Fireworks

by saddle_tramp



Series: The World Belongs To Me [8]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Hulk (2003), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-30
Updated: 2015-05-30
Packaged: 2018-04-01 22:04:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4036192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saddle_tramp/pseuds/saddle_tramp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fandom: Marvel Movies Universe AU</p>
<p>Spoilers: If you’ve read the rest of the series, you already know I use what I like of canon and pitch the rest, both movie and comic ‘verse. Spoilers for the ENTIRE MARVEL MOVIE ‘VERSE.</p>
<p>Rating: R<br/>Warnings: Language, mentions of sexual content.</p>
<p>Summary:  Clint gets by with a little help from his friends, Buck is lonely, Darcy lectures her 'big brother' about maidens, midnight brownies are eaten, and Tony gives advice while half asleep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fireworks

Clint was in the main kitchen of the penthouse, humming quietly to himself while he sorted the last plate of beans, picking through them a few at a time to either toss them in the bowl of bad beans, small rocks, twigs, and dirt clumps or into the colander in the sink to rinse before he cooked them. He was looking forward to a big pot of red beans with sausage to go with the rice and cornbread he planned to make for dinner, so he was starting the beans cooking a little earlier than he really needed to. The beans had to cook two to three hours to get them to that perfect thick delicious consistency Clint – not to mention Phil, Steve, Bucky, and Rhodey – loved, but Clint had barely finished clearing away lunch so the beans would be done long before their usual dinner hour of around eight.

Clint finished the sorting and moved on to rinsing the beans under warm water, barely aware that his humming had faded away into silence. He was alone in the kitchen, something that didn’t happen very often anymore, but he didn’t mind. The simple task of starting a pot of beans was something he had done more times than he could count, and he was finally able to be alone again – at least in the familiar surroundings of his home – without feeling antsy or having another flashback that left him shaking and cold, or worse, crying like a child. He’d had the worst one yet while he tried to work on the Quinjet to keep him busy while Phil was at SHIELD headquarters over a month ago, but he was still mortified that Steve had carried him back into the penthouse before he began to get control of himself again. If that _never_ happened again, it would still be too soon.

He felt safe in the penthouse, though, able to trust that there was always family nearby. That particular afternoon Phil was less than a fifty yards away in the sun room, video-conferencing with Nick and Maria about some mission they just _had_ to have his opinion on. Phil would hang up on Fury in a heartbeat if he thought Clint needed him, Clint knew, but even if he didn’t, Tony, Bruce, and Steve were just upstairs in the lab watching Firefly with Bucky and the ‘bots.  Even when he left the tower alone – which he didn’t do nearly as often as he used to, but he was at least able to go grocery shopping again without a babysitter – JARVIS was right there in his ear, keeping him grounded and connected with the rest of the family. It was frustrating and yes, even embarrassing for Clint that he was no longer the self-reliant, independent man he once was, but he knew he was doing much better and had hope that someday the mental scars Loki had given him would be just a memory like the more physical scars he carried.

Clint moved the colander of cleaned beans over next to the large stockpot on the stove, and then he turned away to go to the fridge to get the palm-sized chunk of smoked hog jowl he had bought for the beans. He had the meat on a plastic cutting board and had begun cutting it into small dices a few moments later, his thoughts again on how good the beans would be, when JARVIS suddenly spoke.

“Sir, I find myself in need of a more ... _human_ perspective,” JARVIS murmured diffidently, obviously unhappy about something. “I am not sure it would be right to ask any of the others about something I have discovered in the course of my usual duties, but you understand our family better than they understand themselves sometimes and I am confident that you can help me decide how to proceed.”

Clint laid the knife on the cutting board and ripped off a piece of paper towel to wipe his hands, turning to look towards the camera over the stove. “I’d be glad to help if I can, buddy. What’s wrong?”

The doors to the kitchen slid closed and then Jarvis projected a screen in front of Clint, showing him a YouTube page with a video of a very familiar man holding a guitar. “I have stumbled across a small collection of videos that seem to have been taken at a bar approximately one mile away from here, and their content is… slightly worrying.”

“Buck’s playing in a bar?” Clint asked softly, surprised as he reached out to queue up the first fan-made video.

The video showed a dimly lit bar room with a tiny stage in one corner. Buck was wearing his usual black cargoes and t-shirt with combat boots, sitting on a stool with a battered old guitar in his arms. He was looking down at the guitar's strings, never glancing up as he said, “I’m pretty sure this song won’t be new to any of you, but I hope you like it as much as I do anyway.” Buck’s fingers began to flow over the strings of the guitar, making it plain he had played one many times before as he began to sing ‘ _Landslide_ ’ quietly, something sad and lonely carrying through the song so strongly without any seeming effort on Buck’s part that it made Clint want to give the guy a hug even though he and Buck weren’t really that kind of friends.

Clint watched through more than half of the song, frowning as he finally paused the video that someone calling themselves ‘buckyb#1fan’ had uploaded and murmured, “Are they all like that one?”

“No sir,” JARVIS replied softly, “but the songs I have so far discovered show enough of a trend to make me very certain Master Bucky is lonely and possibly depressed despite the fact he so often seems happy while he is here with the family.”

“Well, it’s gotta be hard to get used to Steve not really needing him like he did when they were kids,” Clint said quietly, his frown deepening as he scrolled through the list of videos that ‘buckyb#1fan’ had uploaded. Most were angsty hard rock songs that had Tony’s influence written all over them or old country or folk songs like the ones Steve enjoyed, but there were a few in there by more recent artists that Clint was sure Bucky hadn’t learned about from Steve or Tony, who both hated pop radio with a passion that always made Bruce laugh at them if something set them off about it.

Clint tapped another video at random, one labeled with nothing but a date and time, and then watched as Bucky sang Elton John’s ‘ _I Want Love_ ’, murmuring, “Where did he even hear some of these, JARVIS?”

“That would be my fault, sir,” JARVIS admitted, sounding a bit sad. “Master Bucky is … not a fan of being alone, especially at night, and he often asks me to play something for him when the silence gets to be too much. In absence of any more specific request, I have been playing random songs from my database of what the rest of the family has shown a liking for, hoping that perhaps he would like them as well. That particular song has been in constant rotation among Miss Darcy’s favorites, and Master Bucky has shown tendencies to like many of the same types of songs that Miss Darcy does so I have played it for him in the past.”

Clint stopped the video and closed out the window, looking up at the camera over the stove again. “I’m not sure what you want me to do about this, buddy. I mean, yeah, it’s pretty plain he’s feeling lonely, but that’s not something I can really fix for him. Getting out where he can meet someone is a step in the right direction. He used to spend his free time lurking around the most unused parts of the tower.”

“I am aware of that, sir,” JARVIS agreed, “but I also know that you are much more qualified than I to help someone who is depressed and feeling alone. I have seen and heard enough to make me worry for his state of mind.”

Clint looked down, remembering when JARVIS had asked him and Phil to help Tony, what seemed like forever ago. After a few moments he looked back up at JARVIS’ camera as he said softly, “I’m _not_ inviting Buck into bed with me and Phil. Period.”

“I would never expect you to, sir,” JARVIS said quickly. “And I sincerely doubt that Master Bucky would be receptive to such an offer. He had shown … interest, in men but he still maintains that he is, as he says, ‘a straight arrow’.”

“Good, because Tony is a special case,” Clint said quietly. “He needed something I’m not sure anyone but Phil could have given him. Buck, he’s coping okay on his own from all I’ve seen. Sure, he’s lonely, but he’s not suicidal or drinking himself to death right in front of us like Tony was.”

JARVIS was silent for a long moment before he admitted, “That is true, sir, but I cannot help that I worry. I would prefer never again to see someone so lost as Master Stark was when you entered his life. I would prefer to help Master Bucky with his problems before his emotional state deteriorates to the point that any drastic measures will be necessary.”

“I’ll talk to him next time I get a chance,” Clint said with a quick reassuring smile. “Maybe take Phil out to have dinner at that bar sometime when Buck is there, see if we can’t get him talking. Between the three of us, we won’t let him get that low, okay buddy?”

“Thank you, sir,” JARVIS said quietly, sounding relieved.

“Anytime, JARVIS,” Clint said easily, still smiling as he turned back to the cutting board to finish cubing up the pork jowl for the beans. “Let me know next time he’s acting like he needs a little company, okay? Phil won’t mind.”

“Thank you, sir, I will,” JARVIS agreed. “Speaking of Master Phil, he has finished his conference call and asked me to let him know if you need his help.”

“Thanks, buddy. You can tell him I’m nearly done,” Clint replied, deftly slicing the pork jowl into strips before he turned the strips to cube it all into dices about half an inch across. “All I have to do is brown the pork and then get the beans and water in the pot.”

“Done, sir,” JARVIS said, and then there was a soft sound as the sliding blast-proof doors on the kitchen – which Tony had designed to double as a safe room for the simple reason it had water and food in large quantities, as well as a tiny ‘emergency’ bathroom tucked in behind the pantry – opened again, disappearing back into the walls.

Clint kept slicing the meat, and was just finishing the last of it when strong arms slid around him from behind and Phil murmured near his ear, “Is everything okay, darling? I saw the doors were closed.”

Clint put down the knife and wiped his hands, then leaned back against Phil, relaxing as he rested his hands on Phil’s arms. “Yeah babe, JARVIS just needed a little advice.”

“ _JARVIS_ needed advice?” Phil repeated, sounding surprised enough that it made Clint grin as he turned his head to look at Phil.

“Yeah, but he and I have it handled for now, so don’t worry about it.” Clint let his gaze stray to Phil’s lips, licking his own lips slightly, and as he had expected, Phil needed no further invitation. Clint smiled against Phil’s lips as they kissed, enjoying the soft low rumble he could feel go through Phil’s chest as Phil deepened the kiss to something a little more insistent.

They were both breathing a bit faster when Phil finally ended the kiss to murmur with a smile, “Nice try, but you won’t distract me that easily.”

“Let me finish getting the beans on, and I’ll see if I can’t come up with something a little better,” Clint countered with a wicked smirk that he knew Phil loved to see.

Phil’s eyes darkened as they narrowed slightly. “Such as?”

Clint turned further in Phil’s arms so he could kiss just below the corner of Phil’s jaw before he whispered, “Any.” He nipped Phil’s earlobe gently. “Thing.” He swirled his tongue against Phil’s throat, feeling Phil shudder slightly as his arms tightened around Clint. “You.” Clint nibbled at Phil’s jugular gently. “Want.” He sucked at the same spot he had just bitten slow and steady, earning a low groan from Phil that made him feel rather smug as he finished, “Sir.”

“I want you,” Phil growled softly, his hips rocking against Clint’s ass to let him feel the rapidly-firming proof of how true that was. “Now.”

“I’m all yours as soon as I get this done,” Clint replied, and then he kissed Phil, who growled and responded so hungrily that it drew a low needy whine from Clint, making his face heat up as he hoped no one but JARVIS had heard that.

Phil ended the kiss after several moments, breathing hard as he trailed nipping kisses along Clint’s jaw and then whispered into his ear, “You don’t have to brown that meat.”  
Clint licked his lips, thinking about it only a moment before he agreed, “Not really.”

“Then get it done,” Phil said, letting go and stepping away so quickly that Clint almost staggered.

Clint looked over his shoulder at Phil, swallowing hard when he saw how disheveled and hungry his usually unflappable husband looked, and then he quickly turned back to the counter to pick up the cutting board as he said, “Give me three minutes, tops.”

“You can have two,” Phil said, “and then I will be heading upstairs to take matters into my own hands.”

Clint dumped the meat into the stock pot and then grabbed the colander of beans and did the same with it, moving the pot to the back of the stove where the induction plate obligingly turned on. He moved to drop the colander and the cutting board in the sink and then washed his hands quickly before he returned to the stove, pulling down the pot filler faucet hidden up in the stove hood and turning it on as he said, “You can handle it from here, JARVIS, right?”

“Of course, sir,” JARVIS agreed, sounding amused. “And I will ensure that your beans don’t boil down too far or burn.”

“I love you too, buddy,” Clint said feelingly, turning to look at Phil.

Phil smirked and started towards the stairs, and Clint followed at his heels, forgetting for the moment about everything but how completely edible Phil’s ass was in the worn old pair of jeans he was wearing that day.

 

~*~*~

 

Darcy followed her nose into the kitchen, grinning as she asked, “Do I really smell a pot of Clint’s _awesome_ red beans?”

“You do indeed, Miss Darcy,” JARVIS answered with amusement.

Darcy walked over to the stove where one of JARVIS’ robotic arms was stirring the bean pot slowly, leaning to inhale the steam for a moment before she let out a happy little moan. “Oh god, those are gonna be so good.” She moved away to get a snack so she wouldn’t be tempted to steal a bowl before the beans were even done, asking, “Where’s Clint though? Usually he’s right here guarding the pot.”

“Master Clint is rather thoroughly distracted at the moment,” JARVIS replied dryly. “I am sure he’ll return when he is no longer quite so… busy.”

Darcy giggled, grabbing a small container of ice cream out of the freezer as she said, “Gotcha. He’s getting laid.”

“I would not have put it quite that way, but you are correct,” JARVIS agreed, sounding bemused.

Darcy grinned widely as she opened her Phish Food and then grabbed a spoon out of the silverware caddy by the sink. “How is it that you grew up around Tony and you’re still such a prude, JARVIS?”

“I am not a _prude_ , Miss Darcy,” JARVIS replied just a bit haughtily, “I am merely much more discreet than the majority of this family.”

“All of the family,” Darcy corrected with a giggle.

“I must admit that is entirely possible,” JARVIS agreed, sounding wry. “Even Master Steve has grown decidedly less … circumspect over the last year.”

“Hundred percent fact,” Darcy insisted, grinning as she took a large bite of the ice cream, then made a face. “Salt?”

“In the spice rack, Miss,” JARVIS answered, amused. “Where it has been the last seventy-three times you have asked.”

“Smartass,” Darcy said, moving to the shelf that slid obligingly out of the wall next to the fridge. She grabbed the shaker of coarse kosher salt – none of the fancy dirty-looking salts for her, thank you very much – and sprinkled it liberally over her ice cream, then put it back and moved over to the counter by the stove. She hopped up on the counter and then took another bite of her ice cream, humming happily at the way the salt mingled with the caramel and marshmallow swirled into the chocolate ice cream to make it seem not seem quite so sweet, intensifying the flavor of the chocolate and the tiny fudge fish.

JARVIS didn’t dignify her last declaration with a response, and after a few bites of ice cream Darcy changed the subject, asking, “Is there anything I can do to help Clint with dinner? Those beans smell nearly done.”

There was a short pause and then JARVIS said, “Master Clint would be grateful if you could help with the beans. It is past the time when he would normally add the sausages and vegetables to the pot.”

“No problem,” Darcy agreed cheerfully, hopping down off the counter and then grabbing the lid for her ice cream as she walked towards the freezer with it. “Make sure nobody eats my ice cream.”

“Of course, miss,” JARVIS agreed, amused. “All that will be necessary is for me to inform any who show interest that you have salted it.”

Darcy giggled, tucking the ice cream back into the door of the freezer and then heading for the sink as she said cheerfully, “It always worked when I was a kid, too. Nobody ever stole my ice cream twice.”

“I have no doubt of that,” JARVIS agreed, still sounding amused.

Darcy washed her hands quickly, drying them on a conveniently placed towel as she looked towards the stove and said, “All right, tell me where to find the sausage and a cutting board so I can get busy on that first.”

“The andouille and boudin are in the bottom drawer of the left side of the refrigerator, Miss Darcy.”

Darcy moved quickly to the fridge and got out the two packages, carrying them back towards the counter by the stove as she asked, “And a cutting board?”

A door slid open in the wall behind where Darcy had so often seen one of the others doing prep work, revealing a neat rack of cutting boards of several sizes and types. “The red-edged plastic boards are the ones used for meats, miss.”

“Thanks, JARVIS,” Darcy said with a quick grin at the camera over the stove. She laid one of the cutting boards on the counter and dropped the two packages of meat next to it, then moved to the knife block to get the santoku blade she liked best as she asked, “Does he brown it first, or just toss it in?”

“Master Clint prefers to brown the sausages and the vegetables,” JARVIS replied, “but he has occasionally skipped that step in the past.”

“Which were the times he wanted to tackle the bossman, I bet,” Darcy pointed out, smirking as she returned to the cutting board and opened the parcel of boudin.

“For the most part, yes,” JARVIS agreed, amused again.

“Well, I don’t have anyone to tackle, so I’ll brown it up.” Darcy was already slicing the boudin deftly into pieces about as thick as the end of her pinky finger, one of the few things she could do as well as anyone else in the penthouse, including Clint. She had often done the slice-and-dice thing in the past because that was all her mom had ever let her do when she was growing up, but she never cooked anything that was much more difficult than frying up some bacon because her efforts at cooking had a habit of being less than stellar.

Darcy heard someone walk up to the doorway behind her and didn’t bother to look to see who it was before she said cheerfully, “Just who I wanted to see! Wash your hands and help me.”

There was a long pause before Bucky said dryly, “You didn’t even look to see who it was, so how can you know I was who you wanted to see?”

Darcy smirked, still not looking up from the sausages as she finished the first link of boudin and started on the second one. “Right now, I’d be glad to see anyone who doesn’t have something more important to do. There’s an onion and some celery and bell pepper to dice while I slice up this sausage and get it browned.”

“I can do that,” Bucky admitted, and Darcy was glad he wore such noisy boots so it was easy to keep track of him as he started walking over to the sink to wash his hands. “What’re we making?”

“We’re finishing off a pot of Clint’s red beans,” Darcy replied. “Well, mostly. He’ll season them when he gets back down here, but we need to get all the sausage and veggies in now because they need to cook a little while.”

“And he’s not doing this himself because…?” Bucky half-asked, drying his hands before he walked over to the pantry.

“Because he’s too busy getting laid, duh,” Darcy replied, making Bucky let out a soft snort of laughter as she heard him close the lid of the onion bin. “Bossman must like his red beans and rice too.”

“Doesn’t everyone?” Bucky asked, moving to the fridge. “How much celery and bell pepper?”

“Master Clint uses one large yellow onion and one red bell pepper, sir,” JARVIS said promptly, “and approximately half as much celery as there is onion.”

“Thanks, JARVIS,” Bucky said. Darcy could hear Bucky rummaging in the vegetable bins in the fridge for a moment and then he closed it to walk towards her as he asked, “Cutting boards?”

The hidden storage in the wall slid open again as Darcy finished the boudin and then finally looked at Bucky, smiling. “JARVIS hides them.”

“So I see,” Bucky agreed with an answering smile, moving close to her to reach for a board. “Green for veg, right? That’s what Steve usually hands me, anyway.”

“Exactly so, Master Bucky,” JARVIS agreed, pleased. “Color-coding greatly reduces the chances of cross contamination in cooking.”

“Ugh, no,” Darcy said quickly, waving towards JARVIS’ camera over the stove. “Don’t talk about contamination around food I’m going to eat!”

“I will try to remember not to, Miss Darcy,” JARVIS agreed, sounding very amused.

“Thanks!” Darcy looked back at Bucky, who already had a knife and was watching her with a little grin than made her laugh. “What?”

“You got any idea how adorable you are, kid?” Bucky asked, his grin widening.

“I’m not a kid!” Darcy protested indignantly, eyes widening. “I’m _one year_ younger than you, Bucky Barnes, not counting when you were dead!”

Bucky smirked at her. “Still adorable.” He turned away with the cutting board, knife and veggies, moving to the table as he added, “And you act like a kid.”

“I do not,” Darcy said quickly, “I’m just fun.”

“I bet you are,” Bucky agreed with a little laugh, glancing over his shoulder at her with a look in his eyes that made her own eyes widen for a completely different reason as she watched Bucky give her a slow once-over before he met her gaze again and then turned away. “It’s a damn shame you’re off limits.”

“Why am I off limits?!” Darcy asked, dropping her knife on the cutting board and turning to face Bucky completely as her hands settled on her hips. “I’m an adult and I’m single, I can date anyone I want!”

Bucky let out another little snort of a laugh. “Yeah, well, as soon as you convince Thor of that, you let me know. Word I got is that his baby sister is to be left alone.”

“JARVIS, where is the big lug?” Darcy asked, her eyes narrowing with anger. “I’m going to kill him.”

“If murder is your objective, Miss Darcy, I am afraid I am not at liberty to divulge that information,” JARVIS responded, sounding amused. “I would be glad to allow you to speak to him, however.”

“Fine!” Darcy agreed with a sharp nod. “I need to give him a piece of my mind!”

There was a pause and then a viewscreen seemed to materialize out of thin air against the wall between the kitchen’s two doors, showing Thor sprawled on the couch in the suite he shared with Jane. He was wearing nothing but a pair of unbuttoned jeans with his long hair disheveled enough it was obvious he hadn’t been out of bed for long, looking surprised but pleased as he said cheerfully, “JARVIS has said you wish to speak with me, little sister?”

“Yes, I do,” Darcy said sharply as she walked towards the image, making Thor’s eyes widen slightly as he realized she wasn’t happy with him. “What’s this crap about me being _off limits_ , Thor?”

“I—What?” Thor spluttered, suddenly looking a bit worried.

“You told Bucky I was off limits,” Darcy repeated pointedly, “and I want to know just who you think you are to tell such a nice guy to leave me alone! I _want_ nice guys to ask me out, you bonehead!”

“Thor, you can’t be telling Darcy who she can date,” Jane said, walking into the image and sitting down on the couch by Thor. She was wearing nothing but one of Thor’s oversized flannel shirts and looked even smaller than usual as she curled up against his side, adding, “We went over this, honey. She’s a big girl who can take care of herself.”

“I did not tell Darcy who she could date,” Thor protested quickly. “I would never!”

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Telling Bucky I was off limits is the same thing! How can I find a nice guy around here if you tell _the only one who’s single_ to leave me alone?!”

Thor blinked, looking surprised for a moment before his expression faded into a sheepish smile. “Oh.”

“Yes, _oh_ , you overgrown golden retriever of a man,” Darcy said, giving Thor a dirty look. “I chose who is allowed to date me, no one else. Understand?”

“Yes, Darcy,” Thor agreed quickly, still looking sheepish. “I am sorry if I have offended such a competent young warrior maiden’s honor. That was never my intention.”

“For your information, Thor, I’m no maiden,” Darcy said pointedly, and Thor’s entirely too pretty blue eyes went wide with shock, making Jane giggle. “I haven’t been since I was _sixteen_!” She reached out to ‘touch’ the part of the holographic viewscreen that would end the call, turning away as she muttered under her breath, “I’ll warrior maiden him.”

Bucky was standing by the kitchen table watching her with a wide grin as he said, “You are one _awesome_ dame.”

Darcy lifted her chin, trying to ignore the blush she could feel heating up her face as she said, “Thank you.” She walked back over to the counter as she said quickly, “JARVIS, put some music on. Something that won’t offend Bucky too badly.”

“Of course, Miss Darcy,” JARVIS agreed, and then a moment later the familiar beginning of ‘Video’ began to play. It was one of her favorite songs, one she always played before she went out clubbing to help her get her confidence up, and she knew that JARVIS knew that.

Darcy felt her face heating up even more as she said quellingly, “ _JARVIS_.”

“Yes, Miss Darcy?” JARVIS said innocently as the song began.

 

_"Sometimes I shave my legs and sometimes I don’t._  
_Sometimes I comb my hair and sometimes I won’t._  
_Depends on how the wind blows I might even paint my toes._  
_It really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul.”_

 

“Play something else, I’m sure Bucky doesn’t want to hear that song,” Darcy said pointedly, giving the camera above the stove a dirty look.

“I like it,” Bucky disagreed, sounding amused. “More dames these days oughta listen to that one.”

Darcy turned to stare at Bucky in surprise. “You’ve heard it before?”

Buck grinned at her and sang along softly, “ _When I look in the mirror and the only one there is me, every freckle on my face is where it’s suppose to be_.” He stopped singing then, adding, “I’m from the dark ages, sure, but that doesn’t mean I’m a stick in the mud about music like Stevie is. He was that way even when we were kids.”

Darcy just stared at him a moment longer before she abruptly turned away again, her face beet red. “That’s good, I guess. But turn it off anyway, JARVIS.” She was glad to hear the music fall silent, trying very hard not to think about how nice Bucky’s singing voice was or how much she liked having a guy sing to her. It had led her to making stupid mistakes in the past, starting with when she dated a much older guy in a band when she was sixteen. He had made her feel like she was his world right up until he got into her pants, then he had dropped her like a hot poker and moved on to the next starry-eyed girl.

“Don’t sound so enthusiastic,” Bucky said dryly.

Darcy didn’t know what to say without embarrassing herself more, but she was saved from needing to by Clint, who hurried into the kitchen still tucking his shirt into his jeans.

Clint's hair was wet and standing up in untidy spikes that made it plain he forgot to do much in the way of drying it off after a very recent shower, and his shirt was clinging to his skin and obviously damp in places. “Thanks for pitching in, Darce. Remind me I owe you a pan of brownies.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Darcy said quickly, relieved. “I want death-by-chocolate ones. Go wash your hands, you can start cooking the sausage while Bucky and I finish chopping.”

“Perfect,” Clint agreed, pausing on the way by her to kiss her cheek soundly and then continuing to the sink. “Thanks for lending her a hand, Buck.”

“Somebody needed to,” Bucky said, and Darcy could hear him smirking. “Unlike everyone else around here, I didn’t spend my afternoon getting laid, so I was glad to spend a little while helping out a lady.”

“I am _not_ a lady,” Darcy said quickly. “Dame was better.”

“Whatever you say, beautiful,” Bucky agreed cheerfully, making Darcy let out a soft little surprised laugh.

“Not hardly,” she said, turning to look at Bucky, whose eyebrows rose in surprise as he turned to look at her too. “You don’t have to lie to stay on my good side, Bucky.”

“I didn’t,” Bucky said, his surprise turning to a slight frown. “And if you’ll point me at whoever told you that you aren’t beautiful, I’ll teach ’em the error of their ways.”

Darcy just stared at Bucky for a moment before she realized he really meant what he said, which made her feel suddenly warm as she finally smiled. “Thanks.”

Bucky snorted softly and looked back down at the onion he had been peeling. “You don’t ever have to thank a guy for the truth, Darcy.”

Darcy didn’t know what to say so she just turned back towards the cutting board with the sausage, but not before she saw the way Clint was smirking as he watched her and Bucky, drying his hands. She spoke before she thought, muttering, “Don’t start, Birdbrain.”

“I didn’t say a word, Firecracker,” Clint agreed, still smirking as he reached up to get a large cast-iron skillet down off the pot rack that hung over the sink.

“Yeah, well, keep on not talking,” Darcy said, starting to slice the andouille with a little more force than was strictly necessary. “I have a knife and I _will_ use it on you.”

“Only if you can catch me,” Clint pointed out, laughing as he put the skillet on the stove. “You move and I am gone.”

“You better run fast then, ‘cause I was in track in high school and I still run every day,” Darcy threatened, trying not to laugh at the mental image of herself chasing Clint through the penthouse with a kitchen knife.

“I just have to get to Phil,” Clint said confidently. “He can take you down, baby girl.”

“Yes, but he may well leave you to your fate if you deserve whatever punishment she intends,” Phil asked dryly, walking silently into the kitchen.

Darcy glanced at him and had to smile when she saw he was barefoot in jeans and one of Clint’s t-shirts that said, ‘ _Only my friends get to call me Birdbrain_.’ He looked very relaxed and even a bit smug, which was always a good look on him as far as Darcy was concerned.

“You’d let her stab me?” Clint asked with a laugh, looking at Phil in surprise.

Phil smirked, moving towards the sink. “That would depend entirely on what you did to deserve it, Clint.”

“I didn’t do _anything_ yet!” Clint said indignantly, laughing. “She threatened me before I had a chance to!”

“Smart girl,” Phil said, giving Darcy a warm smile and a wink that made her grin.

“Smarter than him, for sure,” Bucky added with a laugh, making Darcy’s grin turn into full-on giggles when she saw Clint’s surprised expression.

“Clint, your pan is smoking,” Phil said calmly, amused.

Clint whirled back towards the stove, grabbing a towel to pick up the iron skillet with as he muttered, “Who decided it was pick-on-Clint day? Huh?”

“Me,” Darcy said cheerfully, picking up the cutting board of sliced sausages to pour them unceremoniously into Clint’s skillet. “And if you don’t behave yourself, I’ll get Tasha to help me.”

Clint groaned, putting the skillet full of sizzling sausage back on the stove. “This is me behaving.”

“Good boy,” Darcy said, smirking as she put her knife down to pat him on the head like an overgrown dog.

Clint stuck his tongue out at her, making her giggle as she picked the knife back up to finish slicing the andouille.

Phil chuckled softly and moved to get a knife and a small cutting board, then walked to the table as he said quietly, “I can do that, if you have something else you’d rather do, Buck.”

“I don’t mind helping,” Bucky said easily. “I’ll get the onions and pepper if you do the celery.”

“It’s a deal,” Phil agreed, sounding pleased.

 

~*~*~

 

Tony yawned and scratched his bare belly as he wandered into the kitchen a few minutes after midnight, stopping abruptly when he realized that he wasn’t alone. “JARVIS, lights.” The kitchen lighting went on immediately, making Tony squint against it as he stared at the two people sitting on the counter shoulder-to-shoulder. “Why?”

Bucky and Darcy looked up guiltily from the plate of brownies they were sharing. “Because they were here?” Darcy replied, grabbing another brownie to take a bite.

“And delicious,” Bucky added with a wide grin before he finished off a brownie.

“And we wanted them,” Darcy added. “Now.”

Tony waved a hand. “No, I knew that part, I meant why are you two sitting here in the dark to eat like a couple of thieves. Clint made those for _you_ , Darcy, so you don’t have to sneak.”

“But sneaking is more fun,” Darcy said, blinking innocently.

“And I need the practice,” Bucky added, still grinning.

Tony stared at them a moment longer and then just shook his head. “I’m not awake enough to cope with both of you.” He moved towards the freezer, opening it to get a pint of the blueberry gelato that Bruce loved before he went to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. He closed the fridge and walked over to get a spoon, unable to resist anymore as he asked, “Are you two dating now? I see you together an awful lot these days.”

Darcy made a face. “I wish.” She looked at Bucky, pouting. “Kissing him is like kissing _Clint_.”

Bucky gave her a wry little smile. “Right there with you, baby girl. I never tried making out with Steve, though, so I’m takin’ your word for that part.”

“He’s too sexy for you, Barnes,” Tony said, bemused. “You two never heard of dating your best friend?”

“I didn’t say best friend,” Darcy replied pointedly, giving Tony a look that clearly added a ‘dumbass’ on the end of that statement. “I said Clint, who’s my honorary big brother, which makes kissing him just all kinds of eww. Bucky’s funny and sweet and I love him to death, but I am not kissing anyone that reminds me of kissing family!”

“So I get to be her honorary brother, too,” Bucky added, picking up another brownie. “But I have it on good authority that I’m sexy as hell and someone has promised to help find me a likely dame, so it’s not all bad. I haven’t gone this long without getting laid since I was _fifteen_. It’s gettin’ kind of ridiculous.”

“And one of us should be getting laid,” Darcy agreed, looking at Bucky. “It’s not gonna be me with my luck, so it might as well be you.”

Tony rolled his eyes and headed for the door. “You could both be getting laid if you weren’t stuck on the whole ‘I like you too much to screw it up with sex’ thing. Clint and Phil did that for years before they got their heads out of their asses. One awkward kiss doesn't mean it's hopeless.” He didn’t even pause on the way out of the room. “Lights!”

The kitchen went dark behind him as he heard Darcy say slowly, “We didn’t actually _try_ sex…”

“I’ll try anything once if you will,” Bucky replied, sounding as unsure about it as Darcy did.

Tony snorted and muttered to himself, “Stupid kids.” The elevator opened as he approached and he stepped into it, watching the doors close before he added, “JARVIS, if they do work up the nerve to get freaky, make sure you remind them to use protection.”

“I am very sure that Miss Darcy is quite capable of taking care of that herself, Master Stark.”

Tony grinned at the frosty, disapproving tone. “Too shy to discuss it with her, huh?”

“Too respectful of her privacy,” JARVIS countered, “something I am quite sure is a foreign concept to you, sir.”

“Ooh, snippy!” Tony teased, grinning wider. “I’m just trying to look out for her happiness and well-being.”

“You, sir, are just hoping I’ll embarrass not only myself, but both of them as well,” JARVIS countered, sounding just a bit aggravated.

Tony laughed just as the elevator opened to reveal the comfortable living room in the apartment he shared with Bruce and Steve, which had slowly over the last year gone from completely bare except for a treadmill to being a welcoming living room with comfortable furniture and only a small area set aside for two treadmills. It was due entirely to Steve and Bruce going shopping together – alone, they both hated shopping with Tasha or Tony – and outfitting the room with comfortable used furniture instead of anything more modern like Tony might have chosen, but Tony loved the room and the fact clothing was always optional.

At the moment Steve was sprawled on the couch with Bruce curled up against his side, both of them wearing nothing but their underwear as they looked over towards Tony and smiled at him. “What took so long, baby?” Steve asked, curious.

“Darcy and Bucky are in the kitchen acting like a couple of kids that snuck into their mom’s brownie stash,” Tony replied as he walked quickly over to the couch to hand Bruce the gelato and offer Steve the water.

Bruce smiled warmly and accepted the small carton and his spoon. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

Steve took the water, nodding. “Yeah, thanks.”

Tony stepped back and started to unfasten his jeans. “Anytime.”

Steve opened the bottle and then paused, watching Tony as he asked, “Is it my imagination that those two are getting kind of… friendly?”

Tony snickered. “Nope, but they’re being idiots about it.” He kicked out of his pants and then climbed onto the couch next to Steve’s other side as he added, “Darce said something about kissing him once and it being like kissing Clint, so they’ve decided to just be friends.”

Bruce chuckled softly. “One awkward kiss is no reason to give up when two people have as much in common as Darcy and Buck do. Seems like I hardly ever see them apart anymore unless Darcy’s working.”

“I know, right?” Tony agreed, reaching to snag Bruce’s spoon and scoop up a bite of gelato. “I mean, they’re cuter than little fuzzy puppies together. They should go for it.”

“Sometimes best friends are better off not trying for more,” Steve said then, making Tony and Bruce both look at him. Steve looked amused as he added, “Buck and I get along fine, but I’d never try for anything like that with him.”

“You would have before me and Bruce entered the picture, though,” Tony pointed out, suddenly feeling more serious. “You told Clint you were in love with him the day after you moved in.”

Steve blinked and then his eyes widened as he started to look a bit annoyed. “You were listening in that day?!”

“Clint told you he was wearing a comm unit that day!” Tony said quickly, realizing that maybe he shouldn’t have let that particular cat out of the bag. “I _always_ monitor comms if I’m not too busy with something else.”

Steve sighed and gave Tony a firm look. “No more snooping unless we’re in danger.”

“How can I know everyone’s safe if I don’t listen to them?” Tony asked quickly. “That’s why I listen.”

“JARVIS is very capable of alerting you to any problem,” Bruce pointed out, looking amused.

Tony made a face. “But _I_ want to listen.”

Steve snorted. “JARVIS, stop letting him eavesdrop unless someone is in a dangerous situation or has given him permission.”

“Of course, sir,” JARVIS agreed, sounding amused.

“Wait, no, back the truck up!” Tony exclaimed. “You can’t just order him around like that!”

Steve smirked at Tony. “And what did you promise us when we decided this was forever, Tony?”

Tony blinked and then scowled. “To love, honor, and obey.”

“And?” Steve prodded.

“That JARVIS would obey you even before me so you could keep me out of trouble like Phil does,” Tony muttered, still scowling. “But it’s _still_ cheating!”

Steve leaned to kiss Tony slowly and very thoroughly, leaving him breathless and suddenly horny as hell as Steve smirked at him and said, “I did learn a few things from Bucky as a kid, baby. Cheating’s the only way I can win with two partners so much smarter than me.”

Bruce chuckled softly, and Tony glanced over to see Bruce was just eating his gelato as he watched them, enjoying the show as he so often did.

Tony pouted, folding his arms across his bare chest and settling back on the couch. “But I’ll miss everyone.”

Steve slid an arm around Tony’s shoulders and pulled Tony closer to his side, pressing a kiss to Tony’s temple before he said softly, “You’ll see us all every day, and ninety percent of the time at least one of us is with you, so I think you’ll be fine.”

“Maybe,” Tony admitted grudgingly, “but I want permission to listen to someone else when I have to be in meetings. I can’t take sitting in some room listening to stuffed shirts blather on and on, I’ll end up blowing up a pen or something just to distract myself from the mind-numbing boredom.”

Steve smiled against Tony’s hair as he agreed, “If you ask first. I’m sure that Clint won’t mind, and I don’t either. You just can’t do it anymore when people don’t know you’re listening in.”

“Okay,” Tony agreed grudgingly. “I’ll miss out on a lot though.”

“A lot you were never meant to hear, yes,” Steve agreed with a soft chuckle.

“But that’s the most interesting stuff to listen to,” Tony whined, aware that he was being silly.

“You’ll survive,” Steve said dryly. “That’s what we do, after all.”

Tony couldn’t keep back a slight smile at that, turning his head to look at Steve. “We _are_ pretty good at it.”

“Among other things, yes,” Steve agreed, smiling as he kissed Tony again.

Tony hummed soft and low into the kiss and let Steve set the pace, soon so absorbed in Steve’s slow, deep kisses that he barely registered it when Bruce murmured, “I think it’s time to take this back to bed, Steve, so we can remind Tony who he belongs to.”

Steve ended the kiss, turning to give Bruce a wicked little grin. “Have I mentioned today how much I love the way you think?”

Bruce smirked. “Possibly.” He kissed Steve lightly and then stood to start walking towards the bedroom, his gelato still in hand as he added, “But it always bears repeating.”  
Tony watched Bruce go for a moment and then looked at Steve. “He has good ideas.”

Steve smirked. “He does, definitely.” He stood suddenly and then scooped Tony up and slung him over his shoulder to head for the bedroom, one hand settled possessively on Tony’s ass.

If Tony squealed like a little girl when he got picked up, JARVIS would never tell.

 

~*~*~

 

Darcy moved one hand to push a few strands of sweaty hair out of her face, letting out a soft huff as she stared up at the ceiling. “He’s going to be _completely_ insufferable. Y'know that, right?”

Bucky snorted softly next to her, not quite a laugh, and rolled towards her onto his side, making Darcy turn her head to look at him. Buck was smirking slightly and looking very pleased with himself as he said dryly, “Just this once, I might actually thank him.”

Darcy giggled, rolling to her side too and tucking her hands under her cheek as she smiled at Bucky. “Good, then I won’t have to.”

Bucky’s smirk widened slightly and he leaned to kiss her, slow and lingering in a way that pulled a low noise from Darcy when he finally pulled away to murmur, “I’ll take one for the team.”

“However will I repay you?” Darcy murmured with a little grin, moving one hand to stroke over his chest and then down over the soft curly hair that trailed down his belly as she pretended to bat her eyelashes at him.

Bucky grinned at her, wicked and hungry. “Oh, I’m sure we can come up with something.”

Darcy slid her hand down a little lower and then giggled and teased, “I think you already did.”

“Said you were a smart dame,” Bucky agreed as he moved over her and then leaned down for another kiss, leaning his weight on one arm while the other hand stroked slowly along her side and then down over her hip.

Darcy hummed happily and wrapped her arms around Bucky’s neck, glad that she had finally gotten smart enough to listen to Tony even when she thought he was wrong. Even though she adored him more than any guy she had ever dated, her first kiss with Bucky had been so abysmally awkward that she had been _sure_ it could never work between them, which showed just exactly how much she knew.

Sometimes Tony really _was_ as smart as he said he was.

 


End file.
